1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to antivirus systems, and more particularly but not exclusively to methods and apparatus for performing antivirus tasks in mobile wireless devices.
2. Description of the Background Art
Mobile wireless devices become more sophisticated with advances in technology. For example, some mobile telephones, referred to as “smart phones,” now have processing and data storage resources to accommodate photos, videos, music, calendars, and other functions previously performed by general-purpose computers. Some smart phones also have the capability to exchange data with general-purpose computers and other telephones. Although connectivity with other devices has obvious benefits, it also brings with it security problems, such as exposure to computer viruses.
Computer viruses, worms, Trojans, and spyware are examples of malicious codes that have plagued computer systems throughout the world. Although there are technical differences between each type of malicious code, malicious codes are commonly collectively referred to as “viruses.” For example, commercially available “antivirus software” is designed to scan a computer for viruses as well as worms and other malicious codes. While effective antivirus software is generally available for general purpose computers, this is not the case for smart phones. The somewhat limited computing resources of smart phones are optimized to handle telephone communications. Accordingly, smart phones run embedded operating systems, such as the Microsoft Windows Mobile™ platform. Unfortunately, conventional techniques for performing antivirus tasks in general purpose computers cannot be effectively used in smart phones running embedded operating systems.